Means for independent orientation of antennas on a mast



J. K. ROSE Nov. 7, 1961 MEANS FOR INDEPENDENT ORIENTATION OF ANTENNAS ONA MAST Filed June 10, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 java; AQO 4Q J. K. ROSE Nov.7, 1961 MEANS FOR INDEPENDENT ORIENTATION OF ANTENNAS ON A MAS 3Sheets-Sheet Filed June 10, 1953 J. K. ROSE Nov. 7, 1961 MEANS FORINDEPENDENT ORIENTATION OF ANTENNAS ON A MAST 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledJune 10, 1953 United States Patent Ofiime 3,008,140 Patented Nov. 7,1961 3,008,140 MEANS FOR INDEPENDENT ORIENTATION OF ANTENNAS ON A MASTJoseph K. Rose, 2323 W. Devon Ave., Chicago, Ill. Filed June 10, 1953,Ser. No. 360,707 2 Claims. Cl. 343-758) This invention relates to meansfor independent orientation of antennas on a mast to selectively receivethe television signals from broadcasting stations located insubstantially different angular positions relative to the receivingantennas.

One of the characteristics of a television antenna is its directivity.This means that when pointed to or directed toward the transmittingantenna or signal source the signal pickup will be a maximum.

If the television antenna is rotated away from this direction, thesignal pickup will be reduced. In the mechanical installation of atelevision antenna on its mast or tower, means must 'be provided forrotating the antenna until it is pointed in the direction of maximumsignal pickup. It must then be mechanically secured to the mast or towerand kept in this fixed position without further movement.

If it is desired to pick up the signal selectively of two or morebroadcasting stations located in substantially different directions fromthe receiving antenna, it is necessary to use a rotor which rotates themast until the antenna is pointed at or correctly oriented for one ofthe desired signals. To receive the signal of the other broadcastingstation, the mast or tower must again be rotated until the signal of theother station is received.

Another method of selectively receiving the signal of two or morestations located in substantially different angular positions relativeto the receiving antennas is to use an antenna for each of the desiredstations. Each antenna is directed toward the desired station.

To orient a single antenna on a mast or tower is relatively simple asthe mast or tower can be rotated at the bottom until the antenna at thetop is properly positioned rotationally.

However, if there are two or more antennas on such a mast or tower, thismethod can be used for one of the antennas only. To orient the otherantenna, it is necessary to get up on a ladder and orient the secondantenna without disturbing the position of the mast or tower,

If a tower is used, the tower can be climbed. However, rn-ostinstallations use a mast or single tube which can not be climbed. Toreach the antenna with a ladder is difficult and dangerous. If the mastis mounted on a roof top the difliculty and danger is increased becauseof the sloping nature of most home roof constructions.

In my method, any one of two or more antennas can be independentlyoriented from the base of the mast or tower without disturbing theorientation of any of the other antennas. This is accomplished in twoways:

In one method, the mast is composed of concentric sections and anantenna is rigidly secured to the top of each section. The mast ismounted at its base in such a manner that each concentric section can berotated to a new fixed position without afiecting the position of theother concentric sections. Thus, each antenna is independently oriented.

In the other method the boom or longitudinal member of the antenna isrotatably secured to the mast or tower by means of a worm gear assembly.The worm gear is rotated by a set of bevel gears one of which is reachedthrough a funnel shaped member.

When it is desired to change the orientation of one of the antennas, aperson standing adjacent the base of the mast extends a rod upwardlywith the upper end extending into the mouth of the funnel-shaped memberwhich guides it into engagement with a hollow stem extending downwardlyfrom one of the bevel gears into the neck of the funnel-shaped member.The hollow stem is rotatable in the neck of the funnel-shaped member,and its inside surface is non-circular. The upper end of the rod fitsinto the hollow stem, and the bevel gear is rotated by rotating the rod.This rotates the worm gear which turns a larger gear rigidly secured toa sleeve to which the boom of the antenna is secured. Thus the antennais oriented to the desired point.

Wind or other forces exerted on the antenna will not change itsrotational position. This is because it is characteristic of a worm gearthat the worm will cause the gear to which it is engaged to rotate, butthe gear itself is locked against the worm and can not rotate againstit.

By either of these two methods a person standing at the base of themast, whether it be on the ground or on the roof, can safely and easilyorient any of the antennas without affecting the orientation of theother antennas and without the necessity of getting up on a ladder.

It is an object or" my invention to provide simple, eflicient means forsecuring a plurality of antennas to a mast or tower and for readilyorienting any one of the antennas from a position adjacent the base ofthe mast or tower without disturbing the orientation of any of the otherantennas.

Another object is to provide a mast of a plurality of concentricsections which may be rotated independently from a position adjacent thebase of the mast, and to secure an antenna rigidly to each of saidsections.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a mast or tower with aplurality of antennas each secured to a separate gear assembly arrangedat difierent radial positions relative to the mast or tower and toprovide each gear assembly with means for guiding a rod raisedupwardl'yfrom a position adjacent the base of the mast or tower intoengagement with the gear assemblies whereby any of said gear assembliesmay be actuated to orient an antenna secured thereto.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following specification, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings showing two preferred embodiments of theinvention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mast mounted on the top of a house andprovided with three antennas;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a portion of the mastwith a single antenna mounted thereon and a rod for orienting theantenna to any desired position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the means for mountingthe antenna on the mast;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structure shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is another side elevational view showing the structure of FIG. 3from a different angle;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper end of the rodadapted to orient the antenna relative to the mast in the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sectional mast having an antennarigidly secured to each section of the mast;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale,showing the construction and manner of supporting the lower end of thesectional mast;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view showing the means for mounting themast to facilitate erection thereof;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1111 of FIG. 9;and

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1212 of FIG. 9.

Although in the following description the structure to which theantennas are secured will, for convenience, be referred to as a mast, itwill be understood that either a mast or tower may be used.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 6, thereference numeral 2 indicates a mast mounted in conventional manner on-a rooftop 3. A plurality of antennas 4, 5, and 6 are mounted adjacentthe top of the mast. The antenna 4 is rigidly mounted because it may beset in desired position to improve the reception of the televisionchannel to which it is oriented at the time the mast is originallyerected. However, it is obvious that it may also be mounted in the samemanner as the antennas 5 and 6. The mounting for the antennas 5 and 6 isthe same so the following description will be limited to a singleantenna.

An inverted funnel-shaped guide member 7 is rigidly secured to the mast2 by means of a pair of split clamp members 8 and 9, each of which isheld in tightened position by means of bolts. The clamping arms 8 and 9are preferably integral with the funnel-shaped member 7, but, ifdesired, may be formed separately and rigidly secured to thefunnel-shaped member. A sleeve 12 is rotatably mounted on the mast 2above the upper clamping arm 8 and is supported thereby. The upper endof sleeve 12 is provided with a groove 13 adapted to receive a U-shapedclamp 14 which holds the antenna 5 rigidly to the sleeve. A simple wayof securing the antenna in place is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 whereinthe U-clamp projects through apertures in the stem of the antenna andnuts 15 are tightened against the outer surface of the stem to hold theantenna securely in place. Any suitable means for securing the antennarigidly against the sleeve 12 may be used. The sleeve 12 is providedwith a worm wheel 16 which is preferably integral with the sleeve butmay be formed separately and rigidly secured to the sleeve in anydesired manner.

The funnel-shaped member 7 is provided at its upper edge with an openupstanding neck portion 17. A bevelled gear 18 is provided with a stem19 which fits into the neck portion 17 and is rotatable therein. Thestem 19, which may be integral with the bevel gear 18 or may be rigidlysecured thereto, is hollow, and its interior surface is prefer-ablysquare, although any non-circular surface might be used. The bevel gear18 is manually rotated from a position adjacent the base of the mast bymeans of a rod 21 having its upper end shaped like a truncated pyramid,as indicated at 22. A crank 23 is secured to the lower end of the rod 20and is preferably provided with a handle 24, by means of which the rodmay be rotated. The rod may be of a single length, but for convenienceis preferably made of telescoping sections which are held in extendedposition by means of a set screw 25. When the rod is fully extended, theend 22 is inserted through the bottom of the funnel-shaped member 7 and,because of its shape, will find its way in the hollow stem 19. Rotationof the rod 20 will then cause rotation of the bevel gear 18 in the samedirection.

A frame member 26 integral with the funnel-shaped member 7 extendsupwardly therefrom in the shape of a hollow rectangle and is provided onits vertical branches with a pair of horizontally extending bearings 27and 28 which are axially aligned with each other. A shaft 29 isrotatably mounted in the bearings 27 and 28. A worm gear 30 and a sleeve31 are mounted on the shaft 29 between the bearings 27 and 28. The worm30 is provided on its outer surface with teeth 32 meshing with the teethof worm wheel 16. A bevel gear 33, having its teeth in mesh with theteeth of bevel gear 18, is mounted on the sleeve 31.

When the gear 18 is rotated it will in turn rotate the gear 33. Sincethe gear 33 is keyed to the shaft 29, its rotation will cause the worm30, which is also keyed to the shaft 29, to rotate. The teeth 32, whichmesh with the worm wheel 16, will thereupon rotate the Worm wheel tomove the sleeve 12, to which the antenna is rigidly secured.Accordingly, it is a very simple thing to rotate the antenna in eitherdirection without disturbing the setting of any other antennas mountedon the mast. The pitch of the teeth 32 and the teeth of the worm wheel16 will prevent rotation of the worm wheel by wind blowing against theantenna. Accordingly it is not necessary to provide any other means forlocking the antenna against such rotation. It should also be noted thatthe funnelshaped member 7 of each antenna is preferably displacedangularly relative to the funnel-shaped members of the other antennas sothat any of them is easily accessible to the rod 20.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 12, themast comprises a plurality of concentric sections 34, 35 and 36. Theintermediate and outer sections are tubular, and the inner diameter ofthe outer section is slightly larger than the outer diameter of theintermediate section which fits therein. The intermediate sectionextends beyond both ends of the outer section. The inner section fitswithin the intermediate section and extends beyond each end thereof. Theantennas 37, 38 and 39 are respectively secured rigidly to the upperedge portion of these mast sections. Each of the mast sections isrotatable independently of the other sections as hereinafter described.A pair or" upstanding channel members 40, rigidly secured to a rooftop41, as indicated at 42 in FIG. 9, provide a suitable support for thelower portion of the mast. A cup shaped member 43 is pivotally securedto the channel member 44) by means of a pair of screws or bolts 44. Thecup member 43 is provided with an offset internal shoulder 45. Thebottom Wall 46 is provided with an aperture 4-7. The bottom wall 46supports the lower end of the inner mast section 34, and the shoulder 45supports the lower end of the intermediate mast section 35. The mastsection 34 is either tubular or has a vertical bore in its lower edgeportion, and a stud 48 which fits into the aperture 47 projects into thehollow bottom portion of the inner mast section 34. The upper portion ofthe stud 48 is provided with an enlarged portion 49 which fits snuglyagainst the interior surface of the inner mast section into which itprojects. Preferably the outer periphery of the enlarged portion 49 andthe inner surface of the mast section 34 are serrated, as indicated at50 in FIG. 12, to insure rotation of the inner mast section 34 when thestud 48 is rotated. The lower edge of the enlarged portion 4-9 extendsslightly beyond the periphery of the aperture 47 and rests on the bottomwall 46 so that the stud 48 can not drop out of place. A nut 51 isthreaded on the lower portion of the stud 48 and tightened against thebottom of the cup member 43 to hold the stud securely in place. Thelowermost end of the stud 48 which projects below the bottom of the cupmember 43 is provided with a square end, as indicated at 52, so that itmay be turned by a wrench to rotate the inner mast section 34.

The intermediate mast section 35 is provided with a plurality ofradially spaced apertures 53 positioned above the upper end of the cupmember 43. The intermediate mast is rotated by inserting a rod into anyof the apertures 53 and exerting pressure in a radial direction. A pairof screws 54, threaded through the wall of the cup member 43, bearagainst the outer surface of the intermediate mast section 35 to preventrotation of the intermediate mast section when either of the other mastsections is rotated. The screws 54 are loosened when it is desired torotate the intermediate mast section.

A sleeve 55 is secured to the upper edge portions of the channel members40 above the apertures 53 by means of a pair of screws 56. The sleeve 55is provided with an aperture 57 in its bottom wall through which theintermediate mast section 35 projects. An internal shoulder 58 isprovided adjacent the bottom of the sleeve 55 to furnish suitablesupport for the lower end of the outer mast section 36 which rotates inthe sleeve 55. The outer section 36 is provided with apertures (notshown) similar to the apertures 53 so that it may be rotated in the samemanner as the intermediate mast section. A pair of screws 59 extendingthrough the vertical walls of the sleeve 55 bear against the outersurface of the outer mast section 36 to prevent accidental rotationthereof. The screws 59 are loosened when it is desired to rotate theouter mast section.

When the mast is to be erected, the supporting channel members 40 arerigidly secured to the rooftop, and the mast is completely assembledexcept for the screws 56. This assembly may be done while the mast issubstantially parallel to the rooftop, as indicated in FIG. 10. The mastis then moved upwardly pivotally on the screws 44 until it is alignedwith the channel members 40. The screws 56 are then inserted in placeand the mast is held in upright position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised a television mastor tower upon which a plurality of antennas may be mounted in such amanner that any of the antennas may be oriented independently of theothers. This arrangement permits each antenna to be individuallyoriented to tune in a particular broadcasting channel so that nomanipulation of the mast or antennas is required when the televisionviewer changes the receiver from one channel to another. In theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 the antennas are each rotatedrelative to the mast, while in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8 to12 the mast is made sectional, and each antenna is rigidly secured toone of the sections so that any antenna may be oriented merely byrotating the mast section to which it is secured.

Although I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention inconsiderable detail, it will be understood that the description isintended to be illustratvie, rather than restrictive, as many detailsmay be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope ofmy invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exactstructure described, except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a rigid supporting member, a cup shaped membermounted in said supporting member, said cup shaped member having abottom wall and an internal shoulder positioned above said bottom wall,a sleeve mounted in said supporting member above said cup shaped memberand concentric therewith, said sleeve having an internal shoulder, atelevision mast, said mast comprising an inner section having its lowerend seated on the bottom wall of said cup shaped member, a tubularintermediate section substantially enclosing said inner section andhaving its lower end seated on the shoulder of said cup shaped member,and a tubular outer section substantially enclosing said intermediatesection and having its lower end seated on the shoulder of said sleeve,each of said mast sections being independently rotatable, an antennarigidly secured to each of said mast sections, each of said antennasbeing spaced vertically from the others a distance suificient to permitit to operate substantially independently from the others, and means forrotating each of said sections independently whereby said antennas maybe individually oriented to diiferent broadcasting stations.

2. In combination, a rigid supporting member, a cup shaped memberpivotally supported in said supporting member, said cup shaped memberhaving a bottom wall provided with an aperture therein and an internalshoulder positioned above said bottom wall, a sleeve provided with aninternal shoulder and mounted in said supporting member concentricallyabove said cup shaped member, a television mast comprising a tubularouter section having its lower end seated on the internal shoulder ofsaid sleeve, an intermediate tubular section positioned in said outersection and having its lower end seated on the internal shoulder of saidcup shaped member, and an inner section positioned in said intermediatesection and having its lower end seated on the bottom wall of said cupshaped member, a stud projecting through said aperture into the lowerend of said inner section, the lower end of said stud being shaped tofacilitate rotation thereof, the upper end of said stud engaging theinner surface of said inner mast section to rotate it independently ofsaid other mast sections when said stud is rotated, means forindependently rotating said intermediate and. outer mast sections, andan antenna rigidly secured to each of said mast sections, each of saidantennas being spaced vertically from the others a distance suflicientto permit it to operate substantially independently from the others.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,744,548 Hershey Jan. 21, 1930 1,812,695 Harms June 30, 1931 2,280,738Bace Apr. 21, 1942 2,535,049 De Rosa Dec. 26, 1950 2,583,210 EdwardsIan. 22, 1952 2,605,417 Andrews July 29, 1952 2,623,999 Kulikowski Dec.30, 1952 2,631,238 Hills Mar. 10, 1953 2,642,754 De Conti June 23, 19532,643,335 Anderson June 23, 1953

